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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29754018">Mistakes Well Made</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCourtSorcerer/pseuds/TheCourtSorcerer'>TheCourtSorcerer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Merlin In The Modern Era [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Accidental Tweets, Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempt at Humor, Attorney Arthur Pendragon, Attorney Morgana, Boss/Employee Relationship, Confessions, Embarrassed Merlin (Merlin), Law Firm AU, M/M, Meddling Morgana (Merlin), Modern Era, Morgana is a little shit, Not Beta Read, Office Relationship, Personal Assistant Merlin (Merlin), and her friend to do the same, but really she just wants her brother to get his head out of his ass, tweets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 23:00:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,394</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29754018</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCourtSorcerer/pseuds/TheCourtSorcerer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur Pendragon is a famous Prosecuting Attorney, known for his dedication and success in his work. He is also the Pendragon of the newly re-named and re-branded Pendragon &amp; LeFay Law Firm, he and Morgana LeFay, his half-sister and equally famous Family Law Lawyer, having become partners in the Firm after their father Uther Pendragon <strike>(the well-known if not famous Defense Attorney)</strike> retired and passed the Firm that <em>his</em> father founded to the two of them. </p><p>Merlin Emrys is the minorly overworked, but insanely well-paid, Personal Assistant to Arthur Pendragon. He is well-known to the public, due to being seen frequently with the man in question. They are rarely seen apart, even in the courtroom, where Merlin tends to sit in the back row and watch his boss work his hardest and simultaneously charm the court. </p><p>Morgana LeFay is "a cold-blooded she-devil who wants nothing more than to see me squirm, <em>Mer</em>lin." She is also quite sick of seeing her married-to-his-work brother pine over his PA, and equally sick of seeing her overworked friend pine over her brother. </p><p>It takes only one accidental tweet to ruin Merlin's life. </p><p>Or does it?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gwen &amp; Merlin (Merlin), Merlin &amp; Morgana (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Merlin In The Modern Era [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141385</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>265</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Mistakes Well Made</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just a quick one shot that I put wayy too much thought into the background of! I had a lot of fun making the tweets and texts. </p><p>Hope you enjoy!</p>
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</div><p>Merlin stared in horror at the post and top reply on his phone screen, as he leaned back against the shelf of copy and printer paper in the office supply closet. Oh, gods he was beyond dead. He couldn't believe this was happening.</p><p>He was a good man! He did good things! He helped people, he cared about his job (kind of), he sent his mom a quarter of his paycheck every month, he was polite to (most) people… So, what in the name of <em>fuck</em> did he do to deserve <em>this?!</em></p><p>He was going to lose his job. Merlin knew he would. His phone pinged and his heart stopped at the notification that flashed across the top of the screen. Arthur. Fuck. He didn’t sound happy. Of course, he wasn’t happy! Merlin <em>publicly tweeted he wanted to fuck him! </em>Panicked, Merlin closed out of twitter and opened his texts, hurriedly clicking Gwen’s contact and typing as fast as he could.</p><p>
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</div><p>As he shot messages back and forth with Gwen, he occasionally checked his texts with Arthur, panic rushing through him at the short tone of his messages. Like any sane person, he leaves his boss on read and keeps texting Gwen. He couldn’t help but squeak when a new message popped up on the top of his screen from Arthur as he told Gwen about his hiding spot. Oh, <em>fuck</em>.</p><p>
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</div><p>Merlin took a few shaky breaths. He could do this… He could do this. Just do as Gwen said and hope for the best, right? Merlin clicked on his conversation with Arthur hesitantly, wincing when he read the string of messages. Right… He was so fired. And dead. Maybe Gwen would adopt Kilgharrah when he’s gone… He’d have to ask her. Merlin takes another deep breath before finally typing out his reply and hitting send.</p><p>
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</div><p>He stared at the screen for a few seconds after the message send before scrambling back to his conversation with Gwen to warn her of his impending doom.</p><p>
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</div><p>Not waiting for her reply, knowing she’d say something along the lines of how dramatic he is being, Merlin tucked his phone into his pocket and braced himself before stepping out of the closet. He glanced around the hall he stepped into, grateful when he noticed no one was around. He was lucky everyone was probably at their desks, oh… Oh, the whole office had probably seen his mistake tweet by now.</p><p>Shuddering in horror at that thought, Merlin forced his legs to lead him down the hall until he was in front of his boss’s office. He paused outside the door, and after a moment of hesitation he raised his hand and knocked firmly. He waited with bated breath for what felt like eternity (really not even a full minute), before he finally heard the eerily calm,</p><p>“You may enter.”</p><p>With one final glance around the suspiciously quiet floor, Merlin slipped inside Arthur’s private office. He willed himself not to physically cringe when he entered to see Arthur at his desk, legs crossed and hands folded stiffly on a closed case file. Considering the situation, and how terrified for his job Merlin was, to say he was startled by the first thing Arthur said was an understatement.</p><p>“Morgana is a bloodthirsty harpy,” he commented as if talking about the weather, leaving Merlin wide eyed and speechless before motioning to the chair across from this desk and adding, “Please, sit, Merlin.”</p><p>The brunet was quick to comply, sitting in the chair. Normally, all he would be able to focus on was the deep blue suit jacket he wore that made his eyes shine like sapphires, and the silver tie that contrasted against it like stars in the night sky. Now, all he could do was focus on trying not to squirm anxiously while he did his best to avoid eye contact.</p><p>“I’m not mad at you, Merlin,” Arthur sighed, slumping his shoulders slightly and dropping his hands off the desk, as if sensing Merlin’s nerves, “the tweet was a mistake, I understand. I assume you didn’t mean to post it publicly. If anything, I should be flattered, I mean, I knew I looked good in this suit but wow.” He paused.</p><p>“We do need to talk, though.”</p><p>Merlin nodded slowly, relaxing a little at the assurance than Arthur wasn’t mad. He was still wary, though.</p><p>“I just want to apologize,” the brunet told him hurriedly after a moment of silence, “I really, really never meant for that to be public, it was supposed to go on my private account, but I suppose it doesn’t matter now that Morgana tagged you and you saw it, and now we’re here, and you really were never supposed to see that and I understand it was highly inappropriate, I am so sorry, Arthur. I understand if you need to fire me.”</p><p>Arthur blinked a few times, listening to Merlin’s quick rambling. Then, he starts laughing, taking Merlin by surprise. He didn’t understand what was so funny!</p><p>“<em>Merlin</em>!” Arthur shook his head as he composed himself, eyes dancing with amusement, “I’m not firing you! I just said I wasn’t mad—relax! Did you stop and think about why Morgana may have tagged me in your tweet?”  </p><p>Merlin tugged his bottom lip between his teeth, frowning as he shook his head hesitantly. He didn’t. He’d been too busy panicking over how he was surely going to lose his job and Arthur was going to hate him. In fact, he was incredibly confused as to why Morgana would tag Arthur. She was his friend, so he trusted she wouldn’t do something that would potentially genuinely put his livelihood and personal relationships at risk…</p><p>His boss must have noticed his internal conflict, because he just sighed loudly and muttered something about him being a blind idiot. Merlin was too worried to even take offence.</p><p>“Merlin, she tagged me because she knows I’ve wanted to take you out for months and was clearly sick of neither of us making a move, if this tweet is implying you feel the same way,” Arthur explained as if it pained him to say aloud. Merlin’s brain stopped functioning after ‘wanted to take you out for months.’</p><p>“You’ve wanted to ask me out for <em>months?</em>” Merlin asked stupidly, his eyes wide.</p><p>Arthur looked away with a red-tinted face and huffed. “Well, obviously this wasn’t how I wanted to do it, but yes. I have. And if this is any indication, you have too…Or have I badly misread things and just made a fool of myself in front the only PA I’ve ever had that didn’t quit a week in?”</p><p>“No!” Merlin gasped, stunned and not quite believing this was really happening, “No, you’ve not misread anything! Gods, wow, this was not how I imagined this going at all—let me just… Let me just get this straight. You seriously like, actually…<em>like</em> me? Like, you actually want to go out with me? And me tweeting about how much I wanted to <em>fuck you</em> made you finally act on that desire?”</p><p>Arthur gave Merlin an almost sheepish smile, nodding his head.</p><p>“That’s about it, yeah…So…What do you say? Dinner, tonight as soon as I’m off the clock?” Merlin didn’t think he could get any more surprised, but the shy tone to Arthur’s voice proved him wrong in an instant. Still, Merlin couldn’t ignore the jolt of excitement that rushed through him at the realization that this was really happening.</p><p>“Yeah! Yes, yeah, that sounds…Perfect!” Merlin grinned; his previous worries gone as his heart raced for a whole new reason. “I’d love that, Arthur.”</p><p>“Great! Good, good,” Arthur cleared his throat, trying and failing not to match Merlin’s grin. “Well, then. Let’s get to work so we can get to dinner, yeah?”</p><p>“Yeah, alright!” Merlin nodded and stood up. “Should I get you your afternoon tea?”</p><p>At Arthur’s nod, Merlin stretched and headed for the door, only to pause right as he reached for the handle.</p><p>“Arthur?” He glanced back at his boss, who tilted his head.</p><p>“Yes, Merlin?”</p><p>Merlin shot him his brightest grin. “I can’t wait for dinner,” he told him before quickly leaving the room before he could reply.</p><p>Well… Maybe some mistakes are meant to be made.</p><p>Perhaps he should grab Morgana a thank-you-latte while he’s out…</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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